Should You Still Be Cycling When You’re Sick?

It’s sick season. As we all know from experience, winter is the worst time for colds and flu. For those living in colder climes, this is particularly true, as research shows that cold, dry conditions make it easier for viruses to linger and spread, so you’re more susceptible to every germ-y sneeze. Worse, recent studies show that flu vaccines are only 40 to 60 percent effective among the overall population during flu season.

If you wake up with a headful of phlegm, a tickle in the back of your throat, and/or a wicked case of some unwelcome winter illness, then the question is: To ride or not to ride? When it comes to cycling when you’re sick, the medical guidelines are pretty straightforward:

Symptoms above the neck? Ride.Got a runny nose, clogged head, and/or maybe a little scratchy throat? You’ve got the green light to saddle up and take a spin (no intervals, please; your immune system needs a little activation, not a beat-down). An easy ride will help push your white blood cells out of the lymph tissue and into circulation where they can seek out and destroy invading bacteria and viruses. It also may open your nasal passages and provide a little temporary relief from your congestion thanks to epinephrine which is a natural decongestant.

Symptoms below the neck? Rest.If you have chest congestion, nausea, and/or a hacking cough, skip the ride and give your body some much-needed rest. Riding, even if you think you can, will just set you back, and you may spend more time recovering than if you skipped this one.

Symptoms everywhere? Definitely rest.It should go without saying, but we know you (and us). If you have a fever, muscle aches, dizziness, and/or general fatigue, do your body some good and stay in bed. You’ll feel better and be back on your bike faster.

How to Prevent a Cold

An ounce of prevention is worth 453 grams of cure, as they say, so here are some tried-and-true ways to avoid colds, flu, and general winter-weather crud that makes you cough, sneeze, and feel so miserable, you can’t ride.

Keep Training

Highly fit cyclists have extra protection against the invading germs that cause upper-respiratory infections like the common cold. A 2015 study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that, after a 30-minute ride, a group of fit cyclists had higher levels of salivary antimicrobial proteins (sAMPs)—which play a role in warding off illness—than their less-fit peers did after the same ride. The catch: It takes consistent physical activity to ramp up those germ fighters. Another reason to keep riding through the winter.

[Find 52 weeks of tips and motivation, with space to fill in your mileage and favorite routes, with the Bicycling Training Journal.]

Get a Gaiter

There’s a saying in traditional Chinese medicine: “Wind is the leader of the 100 diseases.” As you might have guessed, that includes the common cold. According to TCM, our neck is particularly vulnerable to diseases of the wind, and when we let it get cold, our immunity plummets, and disease comes rushing in. Your grandmother probably told you the same thing. Heed traditional wisdom and cover your neck with a wool-blend neck gaiter. At the very least, it will keep you toasty and comfortable while you ride.

Respect Your Sleep

Your body needs sleep to keep its immune system firing on all cylinders. Research shows that those sleeping fewer than six hours a night have dramatically lowered immune-system responses when under virus attack than those getting a solid seven to nine hours of shut-eye. When you’re already feeling under the weather, sleep helps you fight off disease-causing invaders faster and more efficiently.

Drink Up

Dry winter air—both inside and out—can be dehydrating. Yet we often skimp on fluids during cold winter months. Don’t. You need plenty of water to produce lymph, which carries your disease-fighting white blood cells. Research also shows proper hydration is key to keeping those protective sAMP levels high. Keep a pot of hot herbal tea handy. It’ll keep you warm as well as hydrated.

Wash Your Hands!

For Pete’s sake, those “wash your hands” signs are everywhere for a reason—handwashing works. Germs live on surfaces like doorknobs, cell phones, pretty much everywhere, and they stay alive longer in cold weather. You touch the surface. You touch some food or your face. You get sick. Wash your hands often.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Bicycling participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.